So we are buying a house, and if you know me at all by now that means some remodeling and probably DIY! We are due to close in about a month and want to get some work done prior to moving in; painting and replacing floors is much easier to do in an empty house!
We replaced all the flooring in our other house, which is currently rented out. We replaced some older carpet with a really pretty laminate floor. The laminate floor is the TrafficMaster Lakeshore Pecan from Home Depot and is only .79/sq ft which is pretty much an unbeatable price. It is a fairly easy installation and 100% DIY-able meaning you can save a lot of money by not having to pay for skilled labor, whereas other flooring options like carpet or vinyl sheeting I wouldn't attempt to DIY.I really like the look of the laminate flooring we did at the other house, but it hurt my feet! I looked it up to see if other people have this problem and apparently some do and some don't, but a foot doctor was saying hard floors aren't good for our feet... but the soft floor aka carpet isn't good for our respiratory system so what's a girl to do!?
I really want wood look floors in the living room and hallway. My husband wants carpet in the bedrooms. I want to do a walk in tile shower in the master bath where the flooring needs replaced anyway... so we are looking for some new floors!
Did you know that every flooring option out there right now except carpet comes in wood look? I'm trying to narrow down the type of flooring material I want to use now, there is: laminate, hardwood, engineered hardwood, bamboo, cork, vinyl, luxury vinyl, and tile!
We have pets and one baby, and we are working on number two, so I'm looking for something that is going to be scratch and drool resistant, as well as being comfortable for the dogs and us.
I ruled out tile a LONG time ago.
We currently have vinyl in our rented apartment and dropping a can caused a permanent dent and somehow it also got a gash in it, which makes me wonder about the durability... but the flooring store swears by it (and they sell hardwood, laminate, and engineered hardwood as well).
Hardwood would probably be one of the most expensive options, the hardwoods I have seen that I like usually are around $6/sq ft and I would probably have to pay for install or lose a lot of money due to the "learning curve".
I have seen several Laminates that I really like the look of and are a good price, but I'm really worried about comfort if we go with this option! I really don't want flooring that causes me to be in pain!
Engineered Hardwood is more eco-friendly than hardwood, and is supposed to be better with moisture... but is similar in price and often can't be refinished or at least not as much.
Bamboo is a very eco-friendly option. The pricing is pretty reasonable, but the only bamboo flooring I have seen, liked, and was in our budget scratches easily making it a horrible choice for my household!
I honestly just don't like the look of cork, and I can't see it as being super durable and one reviewer said as much!
I'm not sure what the difference is between vinyl and luxury vinyl to be honest. There are different qualities to vinyl however and I'm worried about getting a more durable/higher quality vinyl and price does not always equate quality!
I'm still slightly undecided. I'll probably wind up with a laminate or vinyl though. I prefer laminate for looks and think it will be better for resale but I like vinyl for comfort. Durability of either depends on how well made they are!
What are your thoughts? Is it just me or does vinyl in the living room seem odd, even if it is vinyl planks!? Can you tell what type of flooring it is in these pictures?
If you have guessed it should be vinyl, laminate, vinyl. The last one surprised me a bit!
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